Nike | 動かしつづける。自分を。未来を。 / The Future Isn't Waiting. | 2020
Beyond the Standard Masterpiece / Nike "The Future Isn't Waiting."
In November (11) 2020, all of Japan held its breath for two minutes. The film believed that the urge to play sports could lightly blow away garbage like discrimination. I've watched it ten times. "A standard masterpiece" feels like the right phrase for it, but that makes me wonder: what's the difference between a standard masterpiece and one that isn't standard at all?
The problem
Japan is known as a society that values harmony. But that harmony comes at a cost: even the smallest difference can make someone a target for bullying. If your race or ethnic background is different, you stand out all the more. In a society where 98% of the population is reportedly Japanese, young people from minority backgrounds have struggled with not being able to accept themselves as they are. Nike has long been a brand that listens to minority voices and speaks up for causes that match its values. After stunning the world with the Colin Kaepernick campaign in 2018, Nike turned its attention to Japan this time.
The insight
Sport has the power to show people what a better world could look like, to bring people together, and to inspire action in their own communities. Discrimination and bullying aren't unique to Japan—they're problems found everywhere in the world. But depicting them head-on has long been something of a taboo in Japan. In a country that prizes "social harmony," making "difference" visible is bound to make some people uncomfortable. Nike went there anyway. Built on the testimony of real athletes, this film was an attempt to deliver the voices of the people living these experiences, without any filter.
The idea
The story follows three teenage girls who play soccer: a girl who appears to be a Korean resident of Japan, a girl with African roots, and the bonds they form through soccer as they gain confidence and joy while working through their struggles together. We see a girl whose hair gets touched and fussed over in the school bathroom, a girl wearing traditional ethnic dress, and a voice asking, "What am I, really?" Footage of Naomi Osaka is woven in, and Yuki Nagasato makes a special appearance. The film closes with the message: "Someday, everyone will be able to live as they truly are." "But I can't wait for someday." It was directed by Jovan Todorovic and produced by Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo.
What happened
The day after it was released, the film hit number one on Japan's Twitter trends and stayed on the trending list for four days. On Nike Japan's Twitter it was viewed 17.1 million times, and on YouTube it racked up 11.4 million views. It was picked up by hundreds of media outlets both in Japan and abroad, sparking an international conversation. At the same time, it also drew fierce criticism, with a fair number of people claiming it "made Japan look bad" and calling for a boycott. Opinion was closely split; one report put the count over the first four days at 46,000 favorable reactions versus 29,000 negative ones. The film was shortlisted at the Clio Awards 2020.
Afterthought
Because it depicts a discrimination problem that plainly exists, head-on, I was almost bracing myself for the garbage comments that were sure to follow. And sure enough, they came. But even so, Nike went there anyway. Think about how much courage that takes. And it's also true that without this film, a lot of voices would never have been made visible. I keep thinking about what separates a "standard masterpiece" from a truly great one. Maybe the difference comes down to how much risk you were willing to take. This film took that risk. And for that alone, it has real value.
